


Loyal to a Fault

by awknerdlol



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Denial of Feelings, F/M, Misunderstandings, Slow To Update, no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25090933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awknerdlol/pseuds/awknerdlol
Summary: In a world where Edelgard doesn't attempt to invade Fodlan in her first year of becoming the Emperor.Hubert von Vestra had always been the Edelgard's right-hand man. As her loyal retainer, he strives to collect as much information he could. Curious about the mysterious Knight of Seiros, known as the Ashen Demon, he begins to investigate her. Unfortunately for him, a few of his classmates have noticed his sudden interest in her.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1 - I gotchu Hubie

**Author's Note:**

> Lmao my writing is so bad. Thanks for reading

The first time they met, Hubert had sneaked into Seteth’s office. It was the night of the Garreg Mach Monastery Ball and seeing that it is one of the few events members of the church would be able to participate in, Flayn had been eager to join the students. Seteth would surely attend to keep anyone from approaching his sister. 

_Overprotective, indeed,_ thought Hubert. Although Seteth's weakness would work in Hubert’s advantage. With most of the church’s staff present during the celebration, it was the opportune time to gather information for his liege. 

Approaching Seteth’s desk, Hubert mentally reminded himself that patrol would return in about half an hour. Plenty of time to skim a few documents about the church’s next few missions. 

Or it should have been.

Moments later, the door opened once again, revealing a young woman dressed in dark armor with the sword of the creator strapped to her side. Her teal eyes met with Hubert’s. 

Byleth Eisner. The Ashen Demon. The church’s own hunting dog. A Knight of Seiros. He cursed his rotten luck. Even if he did manage to kill her, it wouldn’t be without a commotion. As a member of the Black Eagle House and as Lady Edelgard’s retainer, his connection would certainly paint a larger target on his lady’s back.

The Ashen Demon looks at him with her infamous blank expression.

“Hubert von Vestra, you shouldn’t be here,” she states. 

The church must not be aware of the Adrestian Empire's wavering faith. For the sake of Edelgard’s dream, he has to silence her or die trying. Without a word, he prepares himself for her attack.

“What you're looking for isn’t here,” she continued stepping aside, leaving the entrance open. “Go back to the ball. I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything.”

Hubert narrowed his eyes in suspicion. She must think of him as naive if she thinks that he will turn his back to her. “You are mistaken to think of me as a fool.”

She shrugs. “You aren’t the first to sneak into Seteth’s office tonight. Ask the house leader of the Golden Deer. He was here earlier.”

Of course, Claude had the same idea. That schemer had been a thorn to Lady Edelgard’s side with his persistent meddling. 

However, leaving without incident was the ideal outcome. Either way, he might end up dead.

He walked to the door while keeping an eye on the strange Knight of Seiros. She leaned against the wall and watched him with uncaring eyes. And he left.

And…

Nothing.

She kept her word and let him walk free. She did not bring up the incident days later nor did she seem to care. While passing him through the hallways, she did not spare a glance at his direction. No other members of the church treated him differently, not even Flayn, who was basically an open book. 

Suspicious. Very suspicious. 

For a woman who slaughtered hundreds at the archbishops without question to not immediately report his possibly dangerous behavior was strange. He had thought he figured most of the members of the church out. Frankly, that wasn’t the case. She wasn’t acting as he expected. And that was very dangerous.

From across the courtyard, he could see her heading to the training grounds. Similar to that of a statue, she soldiered on with an unmoving expression. Perhaps he should put in some effort into investigating her.

* * *

The following days, Hubert had scrounged up any information he could find on the strange woman. From rumors, to a few classes she taught, to words from a particularly talkative gatekeeper, Hubert had managed to find out a little about her upbringing.

Her parents, Sitri and Jeralt Eisner, were both deceased. Her mother died because of birth complications and had been a nun from the Church of Seiros. Her father had been the captain of the Knights of Seiros and had been on a month long mission during her birth. Unfortunately, he never made it back alive, leaving Byleth orphaned at a very young age.

For some reason, Rhea had personally had a guiding hand in her education along with Seteth. Perhaps it was due to her parent’s affiliation with the church. Perhaps she knew about her crest. Either way, the church has their teeth sunken into her.

What a shame.

Lady Edelgard would have loved to have recruited the talented swordswoman.

Within the library, he was reading up on the qualifications to become a Knight of Seiros when he noticed a presence standing in front of his table.

He glared at the silent intruder to find his target, Byleth Eisner. 

“May I help you?” he spat out.

She seemed unbothered by his crass attitude and sat down across from him.

“You have been investigating me,” she calmly spoke.

“As I do for most of the members here at Garreg Mach. Especially if they might pose a threat to Lady Edelgard.” 

“Coincidentally, right after the ball?”

 _Damn it,_ he thought.

“Think about what you will. For me, you were simply next on my list.”

Byleth tilted her head to the side as if someone had whispered into her ear. “Alright.” 

“‘Alright?’”

“Yes, alright. You may continue your investigation. I see no harm.”

The nerve of this woman.

“I need not your permission. You are lucky I am handling your case so passively.”

She stared at him unblinkingly after his threat. “You’re strange.”

“Excuse me?” Oddly offended by her off-hand comment, Hubert had been called many things before. Freak, murderer, monster: many of the few things his victims had called him. Yet coming from her, he especially didn’t want to hear that he was strange from **her**. 

She seemed to nod to herself and rose from the table. “Very strange.”

After staring at the space where she had been moments ago, Hubert slammed his book shut in anger. How is she able to rile him up from just a few harmless words?

“Damn it.”

* * *

Unfortunately, his sudden interest in Byleth had not escaped his fellow classmate’s attention.

“Hubie,” Dorothea smirked as she approached him after Professor Hanneman’s reason lecture. 

“Dorothea,” he drawled, internally groaning at the songstress’ nosiness. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

She giggled, not at all dissuaded by his false pleasantries. “All this time I thought you were in love with our dear Edie, but I must admit that I was wrong.”

“Glad to hear that you have finally come to your senses.”

“To think that you had been after a certain teal-haired Knight of Seiros instead.”

“What?”

He looked at the gossiping brunette in horror. Did she just insinuate…?

“Do not look so surprised, Hubie. Matters of the heart had always been a specialty of mine. You wouldn’t be able to hide your affections from me. Especially with your little meeting in the library.”

“You are mistaken. I ha-”

“No need to play coy. I understand. In fact, I fully support your forbidden love between a woman of faith and an atheist from the Adrestian Empire. It’s incredibly romantic.” She dramatically sighed, obviously smitten with the rumor

“Dorothea, listen carefu-”

“Don’t worry about Edie’s approval. I’ve already told her all about your little… infatuation. In fact, she is planning on asking for her guidance on our next mission.”

His ashen face somehow paled even further at Dorothea’s words.

“Where is Lady Edelgard right now?”

* * *

Edelgard stared at the back of the stoic Knight of Seiros, who had been riding in the front of the Black Eagle students. As per Edelgard’s request, she and Hubert rode in the far back to have a private conversation, with only Dorothea and Petra to listen. Occasionally, Ferdinand would turn to glare at them, obviously wondering what they were bantering about, but refused to break formation from the front of the group.

“She certainly is attractive,” mused Edelgard, curious about her retainer’s newly found ‘crush’. “And is the wielder of the Sword of the Creator.”

“Of course! Our Hubie could only settle for extraordinary. No ordinary woman would be able to catch his eye through normal means,” Dorothea giggled. 

“Wouldn’t he be missing an eye, then? How do you catch an eye?” an alarmed Petra asked. She nervously glanced at Hubert’s visible eye as if it would simply just pop out of its socket.

Whilst Dorothea explained to Petra, Hubert grimaced at the surrounding gossiping girls. None of them had believed him when he insisted that he is merely investigating Byleth. Edelgard led her horse slightly closer in his direction.

“Not a bad choice, Hubert. Might I add that I approve for the most part,” she looked at him with a slight smile on her face, hoping to lighten up his mood.

“Apologies, Lady Edelgard, but I have no intention to pursue any sort of romance,” he stiffly responded.

She frowned at his response. After some deliberation, she continued the conversation.

“You have sacrificed much for me. Don’t let me rob you of love as well.”

She stared at him, searching his face for a reaction. He stopped himself from fidgeting under her piercing gaze and kept his eyes forward.

“There is nothing lost. You need not worry. Striving for your happiness is all I ever wanted.”

Again, unhappy with his response, she pressed on.

“I mean it, Hubert. You are my dearest friend. If you have a chance to be happy, grasp it with both hands. Do not let go.”

“Your happiness is my happiness.”

Hubert pretended to not see her lips tremble at his words. He is forever devoted to his lady even if she wishes to release him. He will never abandon her for anyone’s sake. When she has doubts, he will steer her through tough decisions. He will see her dream become a reality.

“You two are falling behind,” Dorothea sang from ahead of them. “Byleth isn't going to be single forever. I may just snatch her up for myself.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The woman stumbles onto the ground almost dropping her weapon in the process. Her muscles scream in protest as she uses her wooden sword to hoist herself back up. She wipes the sweat off of her brow and glares at the man’s larger figure.

  
“Again,” Seteth repeated whilst readying his wooden axe for Byleth’s next attack. He watched her movements carefully as she struggled to lift herself up.

  
She then adopted an ancient Nabatean sword stance, one that Seteth had taught her, before charging to strike him on his left side. Barely managing to block the first strike, Seteth pushed against her sword arm to attempt to catch her off balance. Unfazed by his shove, her feet gracefully settled a step backward, kicking up dirt from the ground beneath her feet. Her unwavering stare absorbed his form as she pressed the attack. Her overly aggressive attacks managed to allow him to get a few small hits in.

  
“You’re being careless,” Seteth managed to respond as he felt the sword graze the tips of his hair. “You’re distracted.”

  
The only indication that she had heard him was the slight furrowing of her eyebrows. While most would have missed the small sign of emotion, Seteth had noticed after all these years of helping raise her.

  
As Byleth missed once more, he raised his axe to land a decisive strike at Byleth’s shoulder until a shrill voice squeaked from the other side of the training grounds.

  
Recognizing the voice, Seteth hesitated, allowed Byleth to land a blow against him. He began coughing and kneeled over at the harsh attack on his ribs.

  
“Byleth! You must come with me,” demanded Flayn as she approached the pair. Finally noticing the injured party, she grabbed Byleth’s sweaty wrist. “Sorry, brother! I’ll be taking her!”

  
“Flayn, wait!” he coughed in a futile attempt to stop her.

  
Without any other explanation, Byleth allowed Flayn to take her off the field. Seteth sighed, wondering what he had done to raise two girls that move to the beat of their own drum.

* * *

“Sister, how could you?” accused Flayn as Byleth closed the door to her personal quarters behind her. The taller woman took in Flayn’s crossed arms and flushed face.

  
Immediately, Byleth thought through all the things that would bother Flayn. Sothis wasn’t any help seeing that she was as equally confused.

  
“Now what could she be babbling on about?” Sothis wondered, as Byleth, per usual, ignored her existence in front of others. The barefooted goddess casually floated above Flayn’s head.

There wasn’t much besides Seteth and Alois that irritated her. Unless...

  
“Did I not complete this week’s quota of fish?” Byleth asked, immediately heading towards her closet for her trusty fishing pole. Of course, it had to be about fish. How could she have forgotten?

  
“No, silly,” Flynn pointed an accusatory finger in Byleth’s direction. “Imagine my surprise when I learn that my only, and dearest sister has found a new suitor?”

Byleth frowned as the goddess herself leaned forward in excitement. “A suitor?”

“Yes! I heard from Sylvain who heard from Hilda who heard it from Dorothea. Who by the by, witnessed your rendezvous with him in the library after she was flirting with-”

“Ah, she must mean Hubert. Strange boy, he was,” reminiscenced Sothis, rolling her eyes at the thought of Hubert courting her host. “I rather you choose the Gloucester boy. Terribly annoying and persistent, but at the very least he won’t stab you in the back.”

Byleth ignored her.

  
Hubert von Vestra. She had only known about him because he is the right-hand man of the Black Eagle’s leader of the house, Edelgard von Hresvelg. Ever since her talk with him in the library, he seemed more irritated than usual. She could feel his murderous intent from miles away. Perhaps she should have reported him and Claude that night. It would have certainly solved the issue, however, it would certainly result in their deaths.

  
“Flayn, I think he wanted to kill me.”

  
“Oh, hush, in this day and age, you can’t find love without a little bit of murder.”

  
Sothis frowned in thought. “She isn’t wrong.”

  
“Either way, I am not interested.”

  
As Byleth changes out of her training clothes and into her usual armor, Flayn dramatically fell back onto her sister’s bed letting out a heavy sigh.

  
“Truly a shame. You are wasting your youth.”

  
“I, once again, agree. My host is unfortunately a prude. Not a single interest in romance. Ridiculous.”

  
Byleth barely spared a glance at Sothis before turning her gaze onto Flayn.

  
“I don’t have time for romance. Rhea would never allow-”

  
“Enough about Rhea,” Flayn quips, sitting up right. Her bright eyes hardened as she spoke. "Think about what you want."

  
Byleth looks at Flayn’s unaged face. A decade ago, Byleth had been younger and shorter than her. She had always known she was different from the likes of Seteth, Flayn, and Rhea who had lived a thousand years.

  
She was, without a doubt, a mortal. One day she’ll grow old and weathered, while those she considered family will look as youthful as ever. She doesn’t have forever with them.  
Her measly life is a small price to pay compared to the progenitor god. She looks at Sothis, who wouldn’t meet her gaze. Sothis’ Nabatean green hair and eyes shined in stark contrast to Byleth’s dark teal hair. She was… is the beginning of a race of people who had lost everything.

  
Was it wrong for Byleth to want to give her family a part of their culture back?

  
“But wouldn’t you like to see her?” quietly asks Byleth, still watching the goddess squirm under her gaze. “To have her walk and breathe amongst us.”

  
Flayn hesitated, but that was all Byleth needed to know.

* * *

When Edelgard von Hresvelg asked her to assist her on a mission, Byleth intended to reject the request. Unfortunately, Alois had overheard their conversation and insisted that she should ‘spend more time with people her age.” As much as she appreciated Alois, she wished that he would just shut up sometimes.

  
And there she was.

  
Guiding a group of spirited, yet green-horned students who had their first kills just a few months ago.

  
It was one of those days where Sothis remained asleep because Byleth had used up most of her divine pulses on a previous mission. She had to rest to recharge and so Byleth had her mind to herself. Quiet, and lonely without another voice to argue with. On days like this, she rather train, where she could just focus on her blade.

  
With Manuela’s complaining and Edelgard’s stares driving into her back, Byleth wanted nothing more but to turn the group around and head back to the monastery.

  
“... and he had the nerve to laugh,” Manuela all but wailed. “He laughed! He thought it was a joke! How could he make light of me?”

  
“He sounds awful,” Byleth replied dryly, thankful for her usual poker face not giving away her true feelings.

  
“Oh, and it gets worse! That bastard-”

  
“Uh, Professor Manuela?”

  
A sky blue-haired student thankfully interrupted Manuela’s next outburst.

  
“Yes, Caspar?”

  
“Can we take a break? Lindhart and Bernadetta don’t look too good.”

  
The green-haired student, who she assumed was named Lindhart had indeed slumped over his horse, soundly asleep and had impressively hadn’t fallen off yet. Meanwhile, the girl’s face was sheet white and she constantly flinched at every rustle in the woods.

  
“Oh, goodness. We are long overdue for a break. My apologies, I had been just so caught up with my story I had forgotten what time it is. Yes, well,” she paused as she looked to the sky. “Even if it’s a little early, let’s make camp. As for scouting...”

  
Byleth flexed her stiff fingers before grabbing her horse’s reins one again.

  
“I’ll scout the perimeter for bandits,” she volunteered seeing that Manuela was struggling to choose which of her tired students she should send.

  
“Thank you, Byleth,” Manuela smiled. “But I don’t feel comfortable letting you go off on your own, even with your repertoire.”

  
“I’ll go with her.”

  
Surprisingly, or maybe unsurprisingly, Edelgard had opted to join her.

  
“Lady Edelgard,” Hubert hissed.

  
“Hush, Hubert. Go help our classmates set up camp with Dorothea. I just want to get to know our new help. If anything happens, I’ll be safer with the Ashen Demon herself. I’ll see you after,” shooed Edelgard, gesturing for who she assumed to be Dorothea, to guide him away. Sulking like a child, he was escorted to join the others.

  
Then, Edelgard turned to face Byleth.

  
“Shall we?”

* * *

They rode in silence, keeping a careful eye on their surroundings within the forest. Once in awhile, Edelgard would glance her way, wanting to start a conversation, but didn’t know how. Any decent man or woman or others wouldn’t bring up the staring. Any decent person would empathize with Edelgard’s awkwardness and perhaps offer an olive branch or pretend to not notice the looks she would send her way.

  
But that was not Byleth.

  
“I ask that you stop staring,” she flatly states.

  
Although her face reddens, the future empress manages to compose herself.

  
“So you have noticed,” Edelgard resigns and stiffly straightens her back.

  
“Yes, it is very obvious.”

  
“I owe you an apology. I couldn’t help myself.”

  
“It’s fine.”

  
“I’ve never been good at nosing around. That’s usually Hubert’s job.”

  
Byleth blinked. She remembers how she caught him twice putting his nose where it doesn’t belong. It may be his job, but he’s not that good at it. Nonetheless, she bit her tongue.

  
“I see.”

  
The awkwardness continued until they turned around and headed back to the campsite.

  
“About Hubert-” Edelgard started.

  
“Shh…” Byleth shushed the white-haired teenager while dismounting her steed. “Did you hear that?”

  
The student wore a confused look on her face but followed suit. Grabbing their weapons, they crouched down and crept away from the horses. Paces away, Byleth stopped and motioned Edelgard to duck lower. Byleth blew a low pitched whistle and the horses galloped away from the pair. They laid low for what may seem like hours of silence. Just when Edelgard considered Byleth had been hallucinating, she heard it. The distinct sound of heavy panting and padded feet coming from all directions of the woods.

  
Wolves.

  
And by the sound of it, they were approaching very fast and had surrounded the two. _They must have been trailing us for quite a while,_ thought Byleth. Hearing barks and growling as the wolves closed in, she glanced at her companion.

  
Noticing that Edelgard was squinting, attempting to see the beasts despite the fading light, Byleth nudged her with her left foot. With Byleth’s non-dominant right hand, she raised three fingers. It was a countdown.

  
Three. She heard the careful sniffing from the bushes directly in front of them.

  
Two. She could feel its warm breath breathing on her hair.

  
One. She saw the hunger in its eyes.

  
Zero.

  
Byleth sliced through the wolf with ease, splattering herself in its blood before turning to her next victim. After all, wolves were only dangerous in numbers and there were about a dozen of them. She had to move on to the next beast. The second wolf had taken more effort without the element of surprise.

  
“Argh,” a voice grunted out.

  
Crushing the skull of one of the wolves with a heavy swing of axe, Edelgard had left her right side open for an attack. A large gray wolf, much larger than the others, had managed to claw at her thigh. It snarled and barked at the other wolves.

  
 _The leader of the pack_ , Byleth thought as she cut down another.

  
The scent of Edelgard’s blood seems to excite the pack. For them, it was a sign of weakness. The scent of wounded prey. Their attacks grew more aggressive and frenzied when it came to the wounded girl.

  
Axe wielders tended to be slower when attacking than most combat classes. They relied on the momentum of the swing and fall of the axe to pull off powerful attacks. Combined with her injury, Edelgard was vulnerable and it would only be a matter of time before her defenses broke. Distracted by the surrounding wolves, she didn’t notice the gray wolf preparing to lunge once again.

  
Shoving aside a pair of jaws, Byleth frantically scrambled to reach her in time.

  
“Move!” Byleth shouted, but the imperial princess was too distracted fending off the other wolves to hear.

  
With her arm stretched out, her fingers brushed against Edelgard’s shoulder before she slammed to the ground. Pinned by another wolf and desperately avoiding its deadly jaws from her face, Byleth could only watch as Edelgard’s neck snapped by the force of the gray wolf. It all happened in seconds...

  
...but seconds was all that she needed.

  
“Sothis,” she called.

  
And the world answered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk wat I'm doing. Just winging it :D

“Do you understand how rude it is to wake someone from their slumber?” hissed Sothis.

The world was frozen in a purple haze. No sound or movement from any living being; blissfully unaware of time stopping except for two. Byleth looked up at the wolf’s open jaw, inches away from her face. It’s saliva floated in midair and the smell of its breath invaded her nose. It was embarrassingly a close one. 

In the haze, Byleth had never been able to get her body to move. Only her head and neck were granted the ability to function to look at her surroundings or jump moments into the past. Only a few hours or so at most, but she has saved many lives with it.

Sothis glanced at Edelgard’s broken body and softened her gaze. “Beaten by mere wolves. Pathetic. You would have been victorious if you had not tried to save her.”

“I couldn’t let her die.”

Crouching over the corpse, Sothis attempted to stroke Edelgard’s cheek. Her hand slipped right through her; as if she didn’t exist. She drew back her hand and stared at it.

“Yet, she did anyway. And you will too,” she scolded. “This could have been avoided if you had taken a healer with you. As talented as you are in faith magic, you cannot defend yourself and heal others at the same time. Especially with a group of greenhorn students.”

Byleth closed her eyes. “I know.”

“And you’ve been distracted lately. Your choices have been careless. Reckless. Foolish. You are worried about a rite that you-”

“I know.”

Sothis scoffed and floated away from the corpse. She hovered over her host. Must have been an odd sight to see. A strangely dressed girl looming over a woman with a wolf on top of her. 

“I need more time,” spoke Byleth.

“You fool. You have used up all of your divine pulses. I have not rested enough to give you more,” ranted Sothis. “Not without a price. If only you-”

“Sothis, _please_. What do you need?”

Sothis wrinkled her nose as if she smelled something foul. Perhaps it was a recently deceased human body that happens to be inches away from her. 

“What I require is…”

* * *

Irritated by the presence of other’s company, Hubert had opted for the first watch. He was sick of Dorothea’s sly looks, Ferdinand’s constant pestering, and Manuela’s voice. The sun was going down and he wanted to be the first to greet his lady.

And if he doesn’t see her soon, he would be the first to start out on the search party.

“Ah, Hubert! There you are!” a voice belonging to a very specific thorn to his side.

“Ferdinand,” Hubert spat out through gritted teeth.

Ferdinand von Aegir. The son of the Adrestian Empire’s Prime Minister. The spawn of a corrupted, greedy man who fills his pockets with the blood of peasants on his territory. 

Unfortunately, that man is too important to just simply get rid of. Too many hidden agreements and not enough trustworthy people to replace them. The empire has been filled with snakes since the insurrection. Filled with nobles masking their greed under the pretense of escaping from tyranny. 

Hubert would know. Hubert had known ever since he was a child.

“Do not sulk, Hubert. Time away from Edelgard will do you some good. Perhaps you will think for yourself for once.”

Hubert scoffed at his jab. “You are insinuating that I am following Lady Edelgard blindly. You are mistaken. I am aware of the repercussions, however, I simply do not care for them.”

“But as nobles, it is our duty to become beacons of light to guide those who have strayed. Even if they are of a higher position, we must remind them of their duty or else they are unfit.”

He wanted to laugh at Ferdinand's naivety. Would he still be able to utter those words if he knew about his father’s involvement with Hrym territory? Is he not aware of the one-sided power struggle?

Instead, he smirked. 

“Ah, like father like son. Duke Aegir must be very proud that his heir takes after him. You even spew the same propaganda as him.”

The orange-haired teenager visibly cringed at the insult. Duke Aegir was not an attractive man personality and appearance wise. Balding, could hardly support his own weight, and the inability to resist filling his pockets with any coin he could get his hands on, most would like to stay as far away from Ludwig Aegir as possible. Ferdinand was no different than them, but he did not know the full extent of his father’s actions. His face scrunched up and reddened in anger with a tinge of embarrassment.

“I… That was not my intention.”

Indifferent, Hubert shrugged off Ferdinand’s poor attempt to defend himself. “My mistake, I seemed to have misinterpreted the meaning behind your words. Now, what is the problem? You surely had not come to see me just for pleasant conversation.

He cleared his throat before answering. “Professor Manuela sent me to replace your shift. As a noble, it wouldn’t be becoming of me if I were to be late. Unfortunately, I am early.”

“Much too early it seems,” he added squinting at the sun setting at the horizon.

The black-haired man rolled his eyes. _A fool_ , he thought. _To think he is next in line if Lady Edelgard had no intention of restoring House Hresvelg._

Hubert opened his mouth to retort until he heard the faint sound of a horse’s hooves hitting the solid ground. Two figures were slowly emerging from the thickens of the woods.

From a distance, he could make out the soft glow of the sword of the creator and her majesty’s white, blood-stained hair. Hubert reached for the warning bell to alert the others that the duo was approaching. His lady had returned.

* * *

Thankfully, Lady Edelgard had returned alive and well. Absolutely filthy, but those were minor details. Fending off their fellow classmates, Hubert managed to get the two women alone with Manuela at the medical bay after hearing about Lady Edelgard’s injury.

However, there was something more pressing and concerning matters regarding his lady. 

Covered in blood and fatigued by the past events, she seemed unbothered, staring after Byleth's nonchalant form.

The way she looked at Eisner was… different from before. Rather than curiosity, she seemed motivated. Whatever happened in the forest seemed to spark something in her. The only other instance that her majesty had such a look on her face that Hubert could recall was when she revealed her grand dream.

Even after Manuela rambled and fretted over the two women, her majesty hardly blinked.

"Impeccable," Manuela wondered aloud, examining Edelgard's thigh. "No sign of infection nor a trace of the attack. Beginners of faith magic would usually leave behind faint scarring for a day or two."

She glanced at the quiet knight. "You are surely not a novice. I didn’t know you were so adept at healing magic. Have you trained as a Bishop?"

Eisner shrugged, neither confirming nor denying Manuela's prodding. Hiding away the information for later, Hubert directed his attention to his liege.

“Lady Edelgard, are you alright? Are you injured elsewhere?”

Snapping her out of her thoughts, she cleared her throat before speaking. "I am fine, Hubert, thank you for your concern.”

She turned to speak to the older warrior. “Byleth saved my life. She is a very talented swordswoman. It was almost if she knew exactly what was going to happen. And for that, I owe you my thanks.”

Eisner glanced at the surrounding and expecting faces waiting for her response. 

“No need. We got out safely and that is all that matters,” she stiffly responded with her hand grazing the handle of her sword. 

“Well, Byleth had always been a miracle worker,” Manuela commented, noticing the dark-haired woman’s discomfort. “From my years teaching at the monastery, she always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. Like a sixth sense, I would say. As if the goddess herself guided her.”

“The goddess herself…” repeats Edelgard whilst glancing to meet her retainer’s eyes. Hubert sneered at the mention of the goddess, Sothis. They were all just bedtime stories to help children sleep at night. A glorification of a war long past.

Manuela, noticing the shared look between the two, crossed her arms over her fairly exposed chest. “You two have the strangest expressions on your faces. Is there something wrong?”

“Nothing, professor. Nothing at all. Just a little tired,” smiled Edelgard.


End file.
